


off-road

by fruti2flutie



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Light Angst, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 14:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14896422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruti2flutie/pseuds/fruti2flutie
Summary: One love potion, two fifth-year wizards, and three weeks of Sunwoo trying to convince himself he’s not the one who drank it.





	off-road

**Author's Note:**

> -Very Much inspired by [this prompt](https://twitter.com/tbzpromptbot/status/948782585466863616) by @tbzpromptbot on twt  
> -i had to edit this like SIX times to be satisfied oh my goodness, am i? satisfied??? who knows  
> -title taken from my fav pentagon song ["off-road"](https://youtu.be/djZMCulpcuU) bc i'm not creative  
> -forgive any mistakes or errors! will possibly return to deal with them in the future  
> - **warnings:** the bullying as well as an off-screen broken limb are briefly mentioned, swearing is minimal but it happens, a few members' ages were changed but not by that much (everyone's either a fifth-year or a seventh-year), also this is my first  & only hogwarts au so pls be gentle bc i am a harry potter n00b  
> -okay, that's all, enjoy reading!

Sunwoo slinks an arm around Hyunjoon’s shoulders as the younger wizard turns a corner. “This is gonna sound bad,” he begins, voice low, “but I need your help.”

“Way to start off a conversation,” scoffs Hyunjoon. “Not, ‘Hey, Hyunjoon, how was Herbology?’ ‘Hey, Hyunjoon, did Quidditch practice run long?’ ‘Hey, Hyunjoon, I finally found your scarf that I stole from you ages ago!’ The like.”

Resisting the urge to flick Hyunjoon’s overly pierced ear, Sunwoo grits his teeth and says, “Not everything is about you, Gryff. But, speaking of lost thi—”

“You found my scarf.”

“No. That’s a lost cause, with an emphasis on _lost_. God, Hyunjoon, get over it. I paid you back in a month’s worth of butterbeer. That should’ve been more than enough!”

Hyunjoon stops walking and puts a hand on his hip, annoyed. “Did you want my help or not?”

“I do, I do. I’m sorry. Forgive me, oh wondrous Hyunjoon. You’re a wonderful wizard. The best Chaser in the school. Hogwarts’ future Head Boy.” Sunwoo pauses when he sees the unimpressed expression on Hyunjoon’s face. “Too much?”

“Dial it back a notch.”

“Gryffindor’s prefect-to-be,” amends Sunwoo.

Hyunjoon sighs. “What do you want?”

Sunwoo cracks a grin, visibly awkward, and says in one rapid fire breath, “Help me find my love potion.” Hyunjoon stares blankly at him. “Please?”

“I have... so many questions.” Hyunjoon’s eyebrows pinch together as he rambles, “How did you get a love potion? Who was it for? When did you lose it? And, Merlin’s beard, _how_ could you lose it?”

Sunwoo hastily pulls Hyunjoon into a corridor, away from the countless of ears that can no doubt hear their conversation. “I made it myself, asshole,” he hisses. “It was for an upperclassman. I’m not telling you a name, but I trust you with my life to say that much. Lost it yesterday.” Sunwoo avoids Hyunjoon’s eyes. “As for _how_ I lost it...”

Sunwoo hadn’t banked on anything going wrong with The Plan. Frankly, he hadn’t thought it _could_ go wrong, given how simple it should have been. (Should, being the operative word here.) The list he’d written on a stray strip of parchment made it clear enough:

  1. Make a love potion (Buying it was out of the question)
  2. Sneak the potion (Vague, but Sunwoo thought he could figure that out eventually)
  3. Enjoy a week of affection (Self-explanatory)
  4. Return to normal after it wears off (The great part about love potions is the recipient’s obscured memory of the effects!)



Last week, he started The Plan at step one. Sunwoo gathered his ingredients, with a deft hand during Potions and some underhanded dealing with a rebel Slytherin, and got to cooking. He’d found the recipe for the love potion in a book from the restricted section of the library — a dusty, century-old novel that’s been banned for recreational use. It was easy to jot down the materials and methods without anyone suspecting a thing.

Sunwoo worked on the potion from dusk to dawn, refusing to get a wink of sleep before it was ready. By the time the sun began to rise, Sunwoo was able to get a waft of the finished product. Faint, sweet citrus: a scent that made the corners of his lips rise, full of pride, because the love potion was a success. He put the brew in a vial no bigger than his middle finger and moved on to figuring out how to implement step two of The Plan.

Get a pastry and soak it in the potion? Make lollipops out of the potion and sugar? Pour a drop of the potion in a goblet? There were countless options, obviously, but Sunwoo needed to pick the _best_ one, which required deep and extensive thought.

It was the day after he’d made the potion when things started to deviate from The Plan, Sunwoo reaching into the pocket of his robes and hand coming up empty.

Empty, meaning no love potion.

Sunwoo, who has a reputation for blowing his top at the slightest inconvenience, was doing a great job at handling it. He was definitely freaking out, but he was doing it on the _inside_. Sifting through his memory was useless; he couldn’t recall if he’d dropped it or left it on the desk of one of his classes. He’d lost it, that was a fact, and he couldn’t stop beating himself up for it — Sunwoo’s blood, sweat, and tears (figuratively) went into that potion!

He knew he had to find it as quickly as possible, but how? Where would he start? Hogwarts is enormous, with hundreds of students and even more unexplored corridors. He couldn’t search alone.

Enter: Hyunjoon Heo, best friend and trustworthy Gryffindor. They’ve known one another since they were babies, the both of them raised by Slytherin legacies (which made the Sorting Ceremony quite interesting). It’s not like Hyunjoon owes him any favors, but this is the sort of thing you save your best friend’s nonexistent love life by doing.

“Long story short: it fell out of my pocket,” Sunwoo declares with finality. “And I have zero clue as to where it went.”

Hyunjoon points at his chest and starts, “And you want me—”

“Us.”

“You want _us_ to play detective,” Hyunjoon says, incredulous.

“Yes.”

Hyunjoon taps his shoe on the ground, arms crossed over his chest. Sunwoo waits for a good twenty seconds of silence to pass before Hyunjoon sighs loudly. “I am _such_ a great friend.” Sunwoo grins. “Where are we looking first?”

“The Great Hall, because I’m hungry,” Sunwoo answers. Hyunjoon rolls his eyes. “Hey, if I don’t get some vitamin C in my system, I’ll be at risk for scurvy.”

“Yeah, sure, Captain Dumbass.”

Okay, Sunwoo kind of deserved that.

——

In the mornings, Sunwoo and Hyunjoon meet by the stairwell and walk to breakfast together. It’s a time to chat before having to be separated during mealtimes. They think that the whole “eat with your House” arrangement is bullcrap, but rules are rules. Today, Hyunjoon strolls towards Sunwoo, who waits by the giggling fruits painting, with an announcement.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“About what? Oh. Oh, _that_. That was fast.” Sunwoo runs a hand through his hair. “Hit me with the good first. Have at it.”

“Good news: I found your love potion. It was in one of the Gryffindor rooms. Here.” Hyunjoon tosses the bottle to Sunwoo, who barks as he catches it. “Nabbed it once everyone went to bed. Smells like rock candy.”

Sure enough, the vial is perfectly intact. The clear liquid gleams, with the same consistency as water, as it sloshes inside the container.

“This is half-empty,” Sunwoo notes. He freezes, snapping his head towards Hyunjoon. “WAIT.”

Hyunjoon winces. “That’s the bad news.” Sunwoo makes to grab at his robes, probably to kick him in the shin, but Hyunjoon is nimble enough to dodge his attack. “Which, to be fair, I couldn’t have prevented in any way! Stand down, I’m innocent!”

Sunwoo is too young to have blood pressure this high. He squeezes his eyes shut and holds the space between his eyebrows. “Do you have _any_ idea who could’ve drunk this?”

“I have a hunch,” Hyunjoon says, “but I don’t know how you feel about—”

“Sunwoo!”

The fast approaching fifth-year Gryffindor beams at Sunwoo, dark brown hair sticking out at the ends, hands flapping innocently at his sides, before leaning in to give Sunwoo a kiss on the cheek. Hyunjoon smiles sheepishly, shrugging, as if to say _I tried to warn you_ , and Sunwoo can only stare at Haknyeon, stunned, while his skin begins to tingle.

——

In their first year, Sunwoo had met Haknyeon on the train ride to Hogwarts. It wasn’t some stroke of luck or fate. It just happened.

Sunwoo was sitting in a cabin with Hyunjoon, wondering what it’d be like once they got Sorted. Although they came from Slytherins, the boys liked to muse about not following their parents’ footsteps and getting Sorted into opposing Houses. The idea seemed far fetched, but it was fun to dream and wonder. Being purebloods as well, it was presumed by their families that they’d carry on the House tradition. Who were they to try and defy that?

Hyunjoon had brought his cat Arrow along, a Russian blue, which Sunwoo considered as his own, too. She was young, though not very lively, rescued from the streets as a kitten. Arrow sat on the seats, napping the whole ride. She’d only woken up when a barrage of knocks came to the door. Sunwoo opened it to a boy, about his height, hair tousled in every direction.

“Hey, did you happen to see a piglet run by here? Her name’s Honey. She’s gotten loose from her cage.” The boy had grinned cheekily, rubbing his neck, as Sunwoo and Hyunjoon shook their heads. “Dang. Well, if you see her, give me a holler!”

He snapped his fingers, spun on his heel, and headed down the train. It took a second for Sunwoo to get a hold of himself and yell, “What’s your name?”

The boy turned, tilted his head, and replied, “Haknyeon Joo!” And then he was off, just like that, in search of a rogue farm animal.

Sunwoo had closed the cabin door and returned back to his seat. _The kid was weird_ , Hyunjoon was saying. _Yeah_ , Sunwoo agreed. They took out Hyunjoon’s wizard chess set to pass the time, not thinking any longer about Haknyeon’s dilemma. It wasn’t their place. (However, once Hyunjoon fell asleep, Sunwoo did. He worried for that boy’s pet and whether he’d actually find it before they’d arrive.)

When the train got to the station, hundreds of newly admitted students were guided to the illustrious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. High ceilings, moving staircases, paintings that couldn’t keep quiet. They all huddled into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Sunwoo and Hyunjoon stayed close as they watched their peers get Sorted, one by one. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Slytherin...

Hyunjoon got called before Sunwoo did. The Sorting Hat had twisted its wrinkles, not long after announcing “Gryffindor!” for everyone to hear. Those who knew of Hyunjoon’s family were shocked. Nowadays it’s not uncommon for children to stray from their parents’ Houses, but Hyunjoon’s family was known for being deeply rooted in tradition. Out of everyone, Hyunjoon was the most shocked. (Afterwards, Hyunjoon would say to Sunwoo, despondent, “My mom’s gonna flip.” Sunwoo shared similar sentiments, but he’s getting there.)

Haknyeon had gotten Sorted a few kids after Hyunjoon. His unique name caught Sunwoo’s attention; Sunwoo immediately recognized the face that accompanied it (which now had a Hello Kitty Band-Aid below its left eye). The Sorting Hat sat on his head, hummed for a bit, and then yelled, “Gryffindor!” Sunwoo had watched as the boy skipped to the House table and joined Hyunjoon with the others. He was envious of Haknyeon for being able to sit there — with _his_ best friend. Sunwoo wouldn’t be able to do that, too brazen to ever fit in with the noble Gryffindors.

When it was his turn, Sunwoo’s feet weighed his body down like molten lead as he stepped towards the stool. He took in a deep breath, coughed out some dust, and cleared his mind. The Sorting Hat was placed atop his head, murmuring.

“You’re nearly one in the same as that Hyunjoon boy. Dear friends, I see... Full of stubborn, adolescent energy. It would be nice for you to be in the same House, yes? You have such a way with words, however. Charismatic, confident, bold. I’d say these are clear Slytherin traits. But I see potential for you and your wits elsewhere...

“Ravenclaw!”

That was Sunwoo’s most dramatic self-discovery in his mere eleven years of living. It was like he was drifting into some dream he couldn’t wake from. The table of blue and bronze welcomed him with open arms, hugging and high-fiving him. He met eyes with Hyunjoon, a table over, and the _Gryffindor_ couldn’t stop smiling. Smiling! As if Sunwoo’s life wasn’t just upturned from normalcy and—

Oh. The best friends were experiencing the same crises. They were in the same boat in oncoming rough waters. They were going to have each other, and that meant they weren’t going to face fears alone. That’s why Hyunjoon was smiling.

The years go by. Their mothers were furious at the outcome of the Sorting; Sunwoo’s mother very nearly requested a re-Sort. It was fruitless, though, because Sunwoo fit into Ravenclaw like the last piece of a puzzle; the same could be said with Hyunjoon in Gryffindor. Their mothers got over it, mostly. After all, Sunwoo in Ravenclaw is still Sunwoo Kim and Hyunjoon in Gryffindor is still Hyunjoon Heo.

Sunwoo and Hyunjoon remain best friends, despite being in different Houses. They still meet up to study and hang out on the weekends. They have shared custody of Arrow, who never wants to be apart from Sunwoo too long. Hyunjoon blames it on Sunwoo spoiling her too much with treats; Sunwoo admits to that.

Once they both find an interest in playing Quidditch, early in their second year, they get into that phase of trying to one-up one another for the sake of pride. When they make it onto the Quidditch team, both of them play as Chaser for their respective Houses. Every time Sunwoo’s house wins a game against Gryffindor, Hyunjoon owes him a pack of Chocolate Frogs. Every time Hyunjoon’s house wins a game against Ravenclaw, Sunwoo owes him a handmade potion.

Potion-making is Sunwoo’s specialty, which is why he’s in such an unusual predicament now.

Some time during his wizarding studies, Sunwoo falls for a seventh-year, star student Ravenclaw. Why? Because the boy stealthily leaves orange lozenges on top of Sunwoo’s broom prior to Quidditch games (before hanging with his boyfriend, that is). As a result, Sunwoo brews a love potion to satisfy his own selfish desires for affection before the Ravenclaw prefect graduates.

And what has Sunwoo’s great plan led him to? Haknyeon Joo, a troublesome kid who loves to play pranks. A fifth-year Gryffindor with a teacup pig for a pet. A muggleborn wizard who barely knows how to step onto a broom.

Haknyeon Joo, someone Sunwoo occasionally associates himself with, falling in love with him.

Things are complicated, at least for now. Sunwoo doesn’t want to blame it on The Plan, which was theoretically flawless, but he’s gotta say it: he might be screwed.

——

Sunwoo’s face may be melting the age old ink off the Potions textbook from how long it’s been on it. He sweats profusely, and it doesn’t help at all that he’s experiencing the heat from the cauldron’s fire beside his head. He’s taken this position ever since he and Hyunjoon finished brewing a serving of Calming Draught, which was over ten minutes ago. They’re waiting for the rest of the class to finish, so in the meantime Sunwoo is having an internal meltdown while Hyunjoon is writing into his dream journal for Divination.

“This sucks,” grunts Sunwoo. He lifts his head and glares at the disinterested Hyunjoon. “Agree with me.”

“I don’t know what ‘this’ is.”

Sunwoo hisses under his breath, “ _Haknyeon._ ” Hyunjoon snorts. “Don’t laugh, Gryff. It’s not funny! I don’t know what to _do_.” It’s only been around an hour, but he’s a _Ravenclaw_ — he should’ve had a plan by now!

Hyunjoon closes his journal and raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Pretend for a while. A week or two.” Sunwoo stares at him, confused. “Pretend to be _dating_ him, the normal way, so you don’t get caught having made and given—”

“ _He_ drank it—”

“—a forbidden love potion,” finishes Hyunjoon, hushed. Sunwoo purses his lips, unable to argue further.

Class ends not long after Hyunjoon’s proposition. They pack their things, with Hyunjoon letting Sunwoo take the potion for himself, and head out. Sunwoo’s breath catches in his throat when he sees the bane of his existence waiting for him.

“Speaking of whom,” Hyunjoon sings. Haknyeon’s whole demeanor brightens as he spots Sunwoo.

“Hey, Haknyeon,” Sunwoo greets shakily. Haknyeon grabs onto his hand and laces their fingers together, smiling all the while. Sunwoo’s only freaking out _a little_. “Okay, I guess this is happening now. Okay. Okay.”

Hyunjoon is laughing because he’s actually an emotional sadist.

“How was class?” Haknyeon asks, directed solely at the Ravenclaw, swinging Sunwoo’s arm as the three of them walk.

“Fine,” Sunwoo answers, curt. He notices students in the halls turn to stare, at him and Haknyeon, so he clears his throat and asks, “And yours?”

“I had Charms,” Haknyeon sighs. “Went as good as you can imagine. My brain is fried — the consistency of burnt toast.”

Sunwoo suppresses a snort. Hyunjoon gives him a strange look, which he promptly ignores. “Where are you off to now?”

Haknyeon gasps, bumping Sunwoo’s side. “We have Care of Magical Creatures together! How could you forget?”

Sunwoo chuckles nervously. “Oh, right. Slipped my mind.” Haknyeon smiles at him.

“And _I_ have Divination, which is my cue to stop third-wheeling,” Hyunjoon interjects. “See you guys later.”

“Hyunjoon—”

“Good luck,” Hyunjoon whispers in Sunwoo’s ear. He smirks and leaves Sunwoo mentally hexing him.

Sunwoo and Haknyeon head to class. Haknyeon talks his head off — about school and tropical wildlife and new flavors for his favorite snacks. Sunwoo almost thinks it’s endearing how his entire face lights up at the prospect of Oreo-flavored cotton candy. If they hadn’t been holding hands, Sunwoo could believe that he and Haknyeon were close friends.

He and Haknyeon have gotten along before this, even. Since Haknyeon is a Gryffindor, Sunwoo sees him often with Hyunjoon and Eric, another wizard their age. All four of them have hung out at The Three Broomsticks, but it’s not like Sunwoo has gone out of his way to befriend Haknyeon — vice versa, too. The closest to acquiring a lasting friendship was during Flying class in their second year. Sunwoo had lent a hand to help the struggling wizard learn how to work a broom, but it ended badly. Haknyeon broke his arm and had to be on bedrest for two days in the infirmary. Sunwoo’s guilt kept him from visiting and apologizing, but he sent flowers and called it a day.

Right now, they’re not acquaintances or friends. The stares directed at them as they go to class are a prime indicator of that. Haknyeon seems to pay them no mind, unaware and/or uncaring; he’s been spellbound, which gives him reason. Sunwoo is just pretending to date Haknyeon because of a love potion gone wrong. It feels dirty, but what else can he do?

When they get to class, outside Professor Kwon’s hut, all the other Gryffindors and Ravenclaws gape and gasp. There are immediate whispers and pointed fingers, which Sunwoo literally bares his teeth at. Even Professor Kwon, who likes to keep things brief and to the point, exclaims, “A new couple is born!” upon seeing Sunwoo and Haknyeon together. The class goes _oooh_ , teasing and immature, and it takes all of Sunwoo’s willpower not to cast _Aguamenti_ to house down the atmosphere.

Today’s lesson is finding and sketching Bowtruckles in the Forbidden Forest. Sunwoo and Haknyeon are partners, by popular demand, so Haknyeon leads him by the hand as they explore. Haknyeon’s got a good grip, so Sunwoo has no worries about losing him. When they find a Bowtruckle, hidden in the leaves of a tree, they sit and get to sketching. They can’t hold hands and write at the same time, so Haknyeon leans against Sunwoo’s side as they draw, gravitating towards him like he’s the sun. They criticize one another’s drawings, but it’s all in good fun.

Maybe this fake-dating thing won’t be that hard. Haknyeon’s a good guy, and it’s only a couple weeks, max. Sunwoo can do this.

——

Three-quarters of the whole school know about Sunwoo and Haknyeon by Saturday, which is three days after HKSC (Haknyeon Kissing Sunwoo’s Cheek). Sunwoo blames it on Younghoon, a seventh-year Hufflepuff obsessed with the rumor mill who wants to write in the tabloids for a living. Younghoon must also be the reason why Jacob, sweet-hearted Slytherin who’s half-Veela and full angel, asks Sunwoo how he’s going to propose to Haknyeon once they graduate. Reminder: it’s been _three days_.

No one suspects a love potion is at work, that’s for sure. Sunwoo has had his fair share of relationships over the years, so it’s not like it’s the end of the world that he’s dating. It’s only news because he’s dating _Haknyeon_ , infamous for silly pranks, and because it’s _Sunwoo_ , infamous for his temper on the Quidditch pitch. Everyone’s curious about their clashing personalities, wondering how fights can and would start, but there’s really nothing exciting to see.

Haknyeon is easy to get along with. He makes bad puns, always keeps the conversation going. Whenever he talks, he takes a hold of Sunwoo’s hand like it’s second nature. He’s got eyes for Sunwoo and Sunwoo only, which makes him feel self-conscious but, after a while, Sunwoo gets used to.

Sunwoo has to get used to a number of things, actually. Haknyeon waits outside his classes for him, and they either walk to their next class or Sunwoo walks Haknyeon to his. Haknyeon is always holding onto him: his hand, his shoulder, his knee, his waist. (Sunwoo has to admit, it doesn’t feel bad to be held. It’s been a while since he’s dated, okay.) When someone asks about his relationship with Haknyeon, Sunwoo answers smoothly, “We’re dating.” The phrase rolls off the tongue now.

And Haknyeon kisses his cheek a lot. Never out in open, like the first time. Haknyeon finds moments where he can sneak one in, swiftly, then pretend that he hadn’t. He does that quiet chuckle, and then that’s all. It never goes farther than that, and Sunwoo is grateful. He honestly doesn’t know what he’d do if Haknyeon tried anything else.

——

The weekends are for sleeping in and extra Quidditch practice. That changes when Byeongjae throws a pillow at Sunwoo’s head around noon and tells him that his boyfriend is pissing off the eagle knocker that lets Ravenclaws into the common room. (Haknyeon later complains to Sunwoo, “I kept telling it how many letters are in the alphabet! There are twenty-six! How was that not right!?”)

Begrudgingly, Sunwoo rolls out of bed and dresses in casual clothes. He descends the stairwell, passes through the door, and sees Haknyeon on the other side.

“Ah! Good morning, sunshine! Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade together?”

“Um, what for?” Sunwoo is fighting off a blush; no one’s ever called him _sunshine_ before.

“A date!” Haknyeon exclaims. “It’s such a lovely day out. Why not?”

“It... wouldn’t hurt,” Sunwoo says slowly. “What do you plan on doing there?” He fails at hiding a grimace. “Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop?”

Haknyeon scoffs. “Tea? Not my style. We can head to Honeydukes.” He grins. “I’m in the mood for sweets!”

Sunwoo blinks. “Cool,” he says. He hadn’t expected that. Honeydukes, albeit not a very date-like venue, is loads better than frilly tablecloths and confetti in his teacup. “Let’s go?”

“Are you asking me or are you telling me?” Haknyeon teases.

“Telling you? Telling you. I’m telling you.” Sunwoo clears his throat, disregarding Haknyeon’s snickering. He takes Haknyeon’s hand and tugs him along. “Okay, let’s go.”

Hand in hand, they walk to Hogsmeade. Sunwoo hadn’t thought to grab anything to eat before leaving Hogwarts, but Haknyeon has him covered. Haknyeon gives him an apple, which he’d saved from breakfast, that Sunwoo eats on the way.

Before they enter Honeydukes, Haknyeon drags them into Zonko’s Joke Shop to browse. Sunwoo has only been inside once or twice, so it’s a new experience. Haknyeon seems right at home, greeting the store owner like a dear uncle and going straight for the trickster treats. Sunwoo looks around, impressed. He sniffs an unsuspecting bar of soap and immediately gags — rotten cheese in disguise. Yuck. He decides to wait outside until Haknyeon is finished. Pranks aren’t really his thing anyway.

Haknyeon returns to Sunwoo a few minutes later and hands him a red tulip he’d just purchased. “For you,” he says.

“Should I trust this?” Sunwoo asks cautiously, holding the flower a good distance from his face.

“Of course not. It’s from the joke shop. Trust nothing!”

Sunwoo frowns at the tulip. “Why’d you give me this, then?”

“Because you—” Haknyeon snaps his fingers, and the flower spontaneously bursts into flames, making Sunwoo screech, “—light my heart on _fire_.” Sunwoo can’t help but laugh incredulously as the tulip disintegrates into ash in his hand. “Stinks that it’s one-time-use only, but I think I got the message across.”

“You’ll just have to buy me more,” Sunwoo lets slip. He blushes and avoids Haknyeon’s curious eyes. _Not applicable to their situation._ “To Honeydukes.”

Known as a goodie shopping hotspot, Honeydukes is crowded. Wizards of all ages are roaming through the aisles, the chatter deafening. Going around the shop, Haknyeon fills his arms with a variety of snacks: assortments of chocolates, toffees, and lollipops. When his arms are full, he uses Sunwoo’s to hold Jelly Slugs and Pumpkin Pasties.

“You’ve got quite the sweet tooth, huh,” Sunwoo comments.

Haknyeon turns to the Ravenclaw, laughing. “Food is the greatest magic.” He plucks a box of jelly beans from the shelf. “I mean, _every_ flavor? Even if you get smelly socks, that’s pretty magical!”

Sunwoo considers it. “You’re not wrong, I guess.”

After they finish shopping, Sunwoo and Haknyeon make their way back to Hogwarts. Haknyeon opens a box of Chocolate Frogs to share with Sunwoo. They get about halfway through it when all of a sudden Haknyeon pulls them off the path and behind a tree.

“What’re you doing?” Sunwoo asks, alarmed at how close Haknyeon is. He can practically count each of Haknyeon’s eyelashes, and it’s apparent that they aren’t the same height, with Haknyeon a pinch shorter. He’s never noticed.

Haknyeon hastily presses a finger to Sunwoo’s lips. “Shh! You can’t let him hear you!” He peers around the tree and snaps his head back, grinning from ear to ear.

“You look evil.”

“I put a transfiguration potion in Eric’s shampoo yesterday,” Haknyeon says, expression unwavering. “He’s coming this way. Every time he sneezes, his hair turns a different color. It’s _awesome_.”

“You did not,” Sunwoo gawks. Haknyeon cocks an eyebrow, jabbing a thumb in Eric’s direction. Sunwoo, skeptical, takes a look beyond the tree.

Eric, in his L.A. Lakers drawstring sweatshirt, a scowl on his face, walks down the path towards Hogsmeade. His hair is entirely shamrock green, almost as if he’s been plucked from a clover field. He rubs his nose and suddenly sneezes, shifting his hair color to Jolly Rancher blue. He groans, stomping his foot and spewing profanities, and shakes his head like a wet bulldog.  

“It cycles through the whole rainbow,” Haknyeon whispers excitedly. “He definitely knows it was me. He’s out for blood. Oooh, he’s mad.”

“Why’d you do it? I heard you liked pranks, but what’s the point?”

“Good pranks make people laugh,” Haknyeon explains simply. “After the potion in Eric’s hair wears off, he’ll laugh, too. He likes stuff like this: temporary inconveniences.” Sunwoo quirks an eyebrow, unconvinced. “I’m serious! Pranks like these don’t hurt anyone. They’re out of the ordinary, yeah, but where’s the fun in routine? We live to spice up life!”

“And how do we do that?” Sunwoo asks, crossing his arms.

Haknyeon brightens, proclaiming grandly, “Paint the stairwells with glitter! Let loose Kneazles in the Great Hall! Feed first-year Slytherins marshmallows that make them breathe fire! Pour potion into your best friend’s shampoo to dye his hair rainbow!”

“HAKNYEON!”

Haknyeon lets out an ear-splitting shriek. “WE’VE BEEN SPOTTED!” he screams. He grabs Sunwoo’s hand and pulls. “RUN!”

It’s a miracle that they’re able to escape the wrath of Eric in one piece. The Gryffindor’s hair switches to Pepto Bismol pink as he chases them, which does not quell his anger. All the while, Haknyeon’s laughing like a madman and Sunwoo’s getting cramps from all those Chocolate Frogs. It’s seriously ridiculous, so Sunwoo can’t help but laugh with him.

Eric gives up when Sunwoo and Haknyeon have significantly widened the gap between them. He hunches over, winded, and yells, “You better watch your back, Joo! Sleep with one eye open!” He sneezes, turning his hair Pikachu yellow.

“Do you think you should be scared?” Sunwoo asks Haknyeon, catching his breath.

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” Haknyeon thins his lips. “Well, hopefully.”

——

The next day, Haknyeon is hiccuping bubbles. He can’t even take a bite of his blueberry pie without acting like a soap dispenser. Sunwoo can’t stand Haknyeon’s disappointed pout as he holds the spoon to his face, so he whips up a quick remediation potion for Haknyeon to drink. It solves the problem in a jiffy, so Haknyeon can finally eat in peace. Haknyeon shares the pie, feeding him spoonfuls, and plants a sweet kiss on his cheek when they’ve finished.

Sunwoo tells himself he did it to be a good boyfriend. It has nothing to do with the cheerful grin Haknyeon sports as he hums around his spoon. Nothing at all.

——

The identity of the intended recipient of Sunwoo’s love potion is classified information. He refuses to tell a soul, because that would be admitting to him harboring a hopeless crush for many months now. That’s pathetic and doesn’t belong in Sunwoo’s autobiography, thank you very much.

It’s inevitable, however, that Sunwoo meets him during the love potion fiasco.

A week after HKSC, Sunwoo plans on getting homework done in the library. He’s behind in all of his classes; he’s bad at prioritizing academia over sports, so it’s working out swimmingly for the Quidditch team. Haknyeon is coming later after he serves detention for filling the girls’ Hufflepuff baths with mango-flavored gelatin mix. As Sunwoo is returning from the aisles, two books tucked under each arm, he spots the seventh-year Ravenclaw standing by the table he’d claimed when he arrived.

“K-Kevin, hey!” Sunwoo drops the textbooks on the table in a pile and drapes an arm over the very top. “Hey, Kevin. Hey. Hey.”

Kevin Moon is Ravenclaw’s prefect, traveling to Hogwarts from Canada every year for his studies. He’s undoubtedly the smartest student in the House, quite likely in the whole institution. He’s known not only for his intellect but also his artistic and musical skills. There are several of his calligraphy works hanging in the Ravenclaw common room, quotes from alumni or famous wizards and lyrics from songs. He can play the piano, saxophone, trumpet, and is currently learning the cello. Post-graduation, he’s set to pursue research for mental health treatment using methods of magic.

And his hair is somehow _always_ perfectly windswept.

If wasn’t obvious enough, Kevin is the star student of Ravenclaw. (He’s also dating Ravenclaw’s second-in-command, which is old news that Sunwoo conveniently forgot about in his potion-making endeavors.) Alas, Sunwoo happened to feel a blooming in his chest after discovering the upperclassman’s good deed of giving him lozenges before Quidditch games. No big deal, except Sunwoo is a dysfunctional, panicked gay who does not know how to face him.

“Hi!” Kevin exclaims, smiling.

Sunwoo nearly cracks his wrist after _History of War: The Giants_ shifts precariously under his elbow. He stands straight, going for a look of cool indifference, because that’s normal. “Yeah, hi. Hi, Kevin. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, to be honest. Haven’t talked to you in a while, so I wanted to pop by.” Kevin shrugs. “What’re you up to?”

“Oh, y’know.” Sunwoo gestures widely and vaguely to the table.

Kevin chuckles. “I don’t know, actually. That’s why I asked.”

“Right. Haha, yeah.” Sunwoo scratches his nose. He coughs. “I’m studying.”

“Oh, I see! O.W.L.s, right?” Sunwoo nods. “Those really are a pain. My advice: make sure to put focus on both written and practical stuff. If you’re ever in need of a tutor, I’m more than happy to help a fellow Ravenclaw.”

Sunwoo feels an arm snake around his neck, pulling him towards the side. “Thanks, but no thanks! We politely decline.” It’s Haknyeon, staring directly at Kevin. “Sunwoo’s got me,” he continues. “O.W.L.s will be a breeze.”

“In the ever capable hands of Haknyeon Joo. I should’ve known. He always seems to know what’s good for you.” Kevin laughs. “I’ll leave you two it, then. Good luck on the exams!”

Haknyeon waves goodbye as the Ravenclaw leaves the library. Sunwoo squints at Haknyeon as the Gryffindor makes himself comfortable at the table. Haknyeon sets out his own parchment and quills, telling Sunwoo to sit and join him. Sunwoo does, albeit warily.

They get to studying. Sunwoo focuses on Herbology, his weakest subject, while Haknyeon focuses on his worst, which is Arithmancy. They’ve been studying together for the last few days, so it’s been pretty obvious to Sunwoo that Haknyeon isn’t a better student than him. He’s a slower learner, needs more guidance, so it’s usually the Ravenclaw who helps the Gryffindor, the only exception being Care of Magical Creatures, Haknyeon’s best class. It doesn’t make sense at all that Haknyeon had stepped out of his way to diverge Kevin’s offer.

And then Sunwoo remembers the love potion. It’s the love potion’s doing. There’s no other explanation. Why else would Haknyeon jump to interfere? It’s not like he actually...

“Kevin’s got a boyfriend,” Haknyeon declares all of a sudden, not looking up from his page.

“I know,” Sunwoo says. “Juyeon’s captain of our team. He doesn’t talk about anything aside from Quidditch and Kevin.”

“Would’ve never pegged him as that kind of guy,” Haknyeon murmurs. “Kevin’s cool. He can draw and stuff. He can get pretty loud, though, and weird. That must be hard to deal with.”

Sunwoo’s lips quirk. “Are you, perhaps, jealous?”

Haknyeon’s head snaps up, eyes wide, and he stammers, “M-Me? Jealous of who?”

“Ravenclaw’s prefect,” Sunwoo says, slightly amused, “for offering to tutor me.”

“Excuse me? No. _No._ Not in the slightest,” Haknyeon huffs. His ears are rapidly turning red. “Jealous? _Me?_ That’s— That’s preposterous!”

“Big word coming from the guy who couldn’t spell ‘veterinarian’ yesterday.”

“There are way too many vowels!” Haknyeon cries. He frowns. “This is unfair. You’re teasing me.”

Sunwoo snickers, shaking his head. “What do you expect? That’s what boyfriends do.” Out of the corner of his eye, he notices that Haknyeon’s stopped writing. He looks up to see the other boy smile. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“You called me your boyfriend,” Haknyeon says softly. “You’ve never said that before now.”

 _Oh._ “Be quiet,” Sunwoo mumbles. “We’re in the library. Do your math.”

——

Sunwoo invites Haknyeon to come watch his next match. It’s on Friday, and Ravenclaw is up against Gryffindor. When Sunwoo asks, Haknyeon makes a big show of pretending to think it over before agreeing. Sunwoo scoffs at the theatrics.

“I was gonna go anyway,” Haknyeon insists. “Support the home team, y’know?”

“You’re supposed to support _me_ ,” Sunwoo chides. There are students around and he can’t let them get the wrong idea. (Granted, there are only two students, one of whom is asleep by the window.)

“Says who?” Haknyeon scoffs. He hoots, pumping his fist. “Let’s go, Gryffindor! Ground Ravenclaw into dust! Lions can eat ravens for dessert!” Sunwoo rolls his eyes.

When Friday arrives, Sunwoo makes sure to drink lots of water and eat three balanced meals. He gets through all his classes, hangs with Hyunjoon and Haknyeon throughout the day. Once the evening rolls around, he heads to the pitch in his uniform, broom in hand, for the pre-game team meeting.

The players are all there when Sunwoo enters. Juyeon, the epitome of leadership, is addressing each player on what they need to be individually mindful of for today’s match. He does solo meetings before the team meeting, which brings everything together. He tells Sunwoo to watch out for tailwinds and keep the Quaffle moving. Sunwoo responds with a salute that makes Juyeon pat him on the back. After Juyeon’s spoken to everyone, he stands at the front to give a short speech.

“We’ve got five minutes ‘til the match starts,” he says, one hand on his broomstick and the other on his hip. “I want everyone to know that we’re out here to win, friendly and fair. Focus on our defense, remember our strategies. Play your best and your results will show. I believe in all of us. Fly high, team!”

The players break off to do their pre-game rituals. As Ravenclaws, they take time to themselves to calm their minds. There are exceptions, like Kevin  visiting the team to meet with Juyeon. While Sunwoo is stretching, he notices the prefect come by to carefully leave a lozenge by Sunwoo’s Firebolt perched on the rack. Then, swiftly, Kevin goes to Juyeon’s side and kisses him with a laugh. That’s typical.

Sunwoo walks to his broom and picks up the candy. Neatly wrapped in cellophane, the orange color vivid. It makes him smile, but there’s a lingering pang of guilt that he associates with the Gryffindor now calling his name. It feels wrong to have the lozenge in front of Haknyeon, so Sunwoo stuffs it in his pocket, out of sight, as the other boy approaches.

“As your boyfriend, I’m obliged to be here to wish you luck,” Haknyeon says, hands clasped behind his back. He smirks. “Even though Gryffindor will wipe the floor with you.”

“Is that so? And what if they don’t?” Sunwoo narrows his eyes. “What if Ravenclaw, by some miracle, beats Gryffindor?”

“Not very likely,” Haknyeon chirps. He scrunches his nose. “Tell you what — if you guys win, I’ll _maybe_ consider changing my favorite team.”

“That’s weak,” Sunwoo scoffs. An ingenious idea comes to mind as he spots a petulant, grape-colored Eric Sohn, who’s Gryffindor’s Seeker, climbing onto his broom. He turns to Haknyeon and croons, “How about a bet?”

Haknyeon’s attention is captured instantly. He crosses his arms, interested. “What’s the wager?”

“Hair dye,” Sunwoo declares. Haknyeon raises an eyebrow. “If Gryffindor wins, you’ll choose your choice of color for me to dye my hair, which I will have to sport with zero complaints until the next match against our Houses.”

“And the same would apply to me if Ravenclaw wins.”

“ _When_ Ravenclaw wins,” Sunwoo corrects pointedly. He holds out his hand. “We have a deal?”

With an air of confidence, Haknyeon shakes Sunwoo’s hand and leers, “You’re on, sunshine.”

As Haknyeon sits in the stands, the game begins with the referee tossing the Quaffle in the air. Sunwoo is in charge of getting the ball as far from their own goal as possible. (Juyeon’s motto is defense over offense, so that’s how he words the team’s plays.) He has possession of the Quaffle several times, and each time he’s able to score a point. In his mind, Sunwoo is playing like he always does: quick, swift, efficient. One of the announcers — seventh-year Slytherin Jaehyun Lee — believes otherwise.

“ _WOWZA! Look at Sunwoo Kim zoom through the air! This must be his best match yet! Must be showing off for his prankster boyfriend, I see! Hey, Haknyeon, how’s it feel to— Ow, Sangyeon, what the hell—_ ”

“ _Our real-time announcements are completely objective! Ravenclaw scores another goal! Go, sports!_ ”

“ _That’s our Head Boy, everyone! Sucking the fun out of young love and healthy competition! Gryffindor has control of the Quaffle,_ finally _, and wait a— THE GOLDEN SNITCH IS ON THE FIELD! It’s anyone’s game, folks!_ ”

The score is too close to make any of the players comfortable. Sunwoo’s job is to pass the Quaffle and score goals, not to focus on the Snitch as it whizzes past him. Eunbin Kwon is Ravenclaw’s seeker, and an excellent one at that. She’s racing against Eric, both of them trailing the Snitch through the clouds. He has faith in Eunbin, and when the whistle is blown twenty minutes later he can only search the sky for her Comet 320.

“ _Young wizards of Hogwarts!_ ” Jaehyun’s voice reverberates throughout the stadium. A long beat of silence, and then: “ _Eunbin Kwon of Ravenclaw has caught the Golden Snitch! Ravenclaw wins!_ ”

The cheers erupt from the crowd and the team. Blue and bronze fireworks explode in the sky. The Ravenclaw players fly towards Eunbin, who’s triumphantly holding onto the Snitch, and congratulate her on a job well done. She’s more than happy to accept the praise.

On the ground, as the players of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor wish one another well, Sunwoo scans the stands to see where Haknyeon is sitting. During the game, he’d avoided looking at the crowd to avoid distraction. Now, all Sunwoo wants to do is find Haknyeon and rub the win in his face. It’s promptly interrupted by Hyunjoon’s flick to his ear.

“Looking for your boyfriend, aren’t you?”

“We made a bet,” Sunwoo says, deadpan. He shakes Hyunjoon’s hand. “Your form was shit, by the way.”

Hyunjoon smiles. “You’re my greatest inspiration.” He ducks to avoid Sunwoo’s punch.

After the Ravenclaw celebration, Sunwoo meets with Haknyeon in the Astronomy Tower. It’s the middle of the night, the halls dimly lit. He’s still riding the high of victory, so it’s somewhat comforting to see Haknyeon dozing off, back against the wall. The atmosphere is mellow, subdued. Sunwoo takes a seat beside him, making Haknyeon crack open an eye.

“If you haven’t heard, my team won.”

Haknyeon snorts. “Ravenclaw is... alright,” he concedes, voice thick with drowsiness. He slips his hand into Sunwoo’s and kisses each of his fingertips. “You were pretty great out there, sunshine.”

The compliment makes Sunwoo break into a grin. “Thanks. Gave it my all.” He runs his fingers through Haknyeon’s hair, humming. “I’m thinking platinum blond for you,” he muses. “The color really _pops_.”

Haknyeon groans, hiding his face in Sunwoo’s shoulder. “Do I really have to?”

“Bet’s a bet.”

So, Haknyeon and Sunwoo go to Hogsmeade on Sunday. Haknyeon enters the hairdresser, his expression sour while Sunwoo’s is positively ecstatic. The stylist examines Haknyeon like a specimen under a microscope, winking at Sunwoo as she takes the reluctant Gryffindor away.

“You’ll be fine,” Sunwoo calls out after them. Haknyeon’s exaggerated wails are loud and unnecessary, but he sends Sunwoo a final, nervous smile before he disappears behind the curtain to the stylist’s station.

While Haknyeon gets his hair done, Sunwoo waits and sifts through a copy of _The Daily Prophet_. With the power of magic, dyeing hair doesn’t take extraordinarily long; Haknyeon’s done in less than ten minutes. The stylist announces the finished product, appearing in front of Sunwoo and tossing flower petals in the air. Haknyeon, whining, hides behind the curtain until the stylist forcibly tugs him out, and when he stands in front of Sunwoo—

Sunwoo has never met anyone who could pull off something as obnoxious as platinum blond so well. The color matches Haknyeon’s complexion, makes his already sparkling eyes appear even brighter. The stylist had trimmed it the tiniest amount, too, so Haknyeon’s boyish charm comes off strong. Is this what Icarus was risking his life flying into?

Haknyeon wrings his hands, visibly anxious. “I look terrible, don’t I?”

“You look—” _Breathtaking. Radiant. Charming._ “It looks fine,” Sunwoo says. His voice cracks at the end. He hopes Haknyeon hadn’t noticed. (The snort the stylist suppresses in her hand tells him that _she_ had.)

After they return to school grounds, Sunwoo is able to make only a single jab at Haknyeon’s new hair — “an Asian Ken doll with way less hairspray.” (In hindsight, it’s not Sunwoo’s best work.) Everyone at Hogwarts seems to love Haknyeon’s hair and Sunwoo...

Sunwoo has severely underestimated how well it suits Haknyeon.

——

Unintentionally, Sunwoo finds out Haknyeon is getting bullied on Monday. They’re sitting on the grass of the Quidditch pitch, Sunwoo’s head on Haknyeon’s thigh as they soak up the sun. Haknyeon is reading a book on the care of unicorns, flipping through the pages, mindful of Sunwoo’s position. Sunwoo is in that gray area of consciousness and unconsciousness, tired from an afternoon of Quidditch practice.

Haknyeon coaxes Sunwoo back to reality once the sun begins to set. “Sunshine, we should head to the Great Hall,” he murmurs. Sunwoo groans, turning over. “Up, up. Come on.”

Sunwoo opens his eyes, squinting at Haknyeon and his entirely too bright hair, and sits upright. He can feel his own hair sticking up, which Haknyeon smooths down with a gentle hand. It feels nice.

“I’ll help you with your stuff,” Sunwoo says, standing. He picks up Haknyeon’s quills and books. He notices something crossed off and rewritten on the back of Haknyeon’s _Potions_ handbook, ink black and bleeding. The word makes him clench his jaw, infuriated.

_mudblood_

“Who the hell thinks this is okay?” he seethes. Haknyeon snatches the handbook from Sunwoo, biting his lip. “Just because you’re muggle-born—”

“I’m from a farm, too. We raise pigs.” Haknyeon laughs, soulless. “Double whammy.”

It hurts Sunwoo’s heart to hear Haknyeon talk like this, like it was inevitable for him to be a victim of bigotry. “Whatever monster did this to you is gonna pay—”

Haknyeon grabs Sunwoo’s wrist. “Sunwoo, don’t. It’s not worth it.”

Sunwoo gapes at Haknyeon like he’s sprouted another head. He wants to argue, but his anger simmers down when he realizes Haknyeon’s eyes are glassy. “Does this happen often?” he asks, quiet. Haknyeon gives the slightest of nods. “Do you know who does it?”

“I— Yeah, I do. There’s... a few of them. I just ignore it. It doesn’t hurt me.”

 _Liar._ “Have you reported it?” Haknyeon refuses to answer, lips sealed tight. “Haknyeon, you can’t let them get away with this. You’re _letting_ them step all over you.”

“I may be in Gryffindor, but I’m not strong,” Haknyeon mutters. He looks down. “Not like you.”

Sunwoo holds Haknyeon by the shoulders, causing the Gryffindor to meet his gaze. “Hey, you know what? I’m deathly afraid of ghosts. Whenever they float by me, I lose my shit. Do you think that’s strong?” Haknyeon shows a sliver of a smile, shaking his head. “Exactly! Exactly. I’m not strong, but I want to fight for good. You don’t deserve to be treated like an outcast. No one does.”

Timidly, Haknyeon takes Sunwoo’s hand. “Will you come with me? I— I can’t do it alone.”

“I won’t leave your side,” Sunwoo promises. He squeezes his hand. “You’re strong, Haknyeon. You just don’t know it yet.”

They go to Sangyeon. Haknyeon doesn’t want to face the instructors, so confronting the Head Boy is the next best thing. Sangyeon is easy to talk to, and he has some say in disciplining students.

Haknyeon tells him everything about the bullying. It had started as inappropriate remarks in his first year, which fizzled out once he told the Gryffindor prefect girl at the time, but the bullying has started to reoccur in the last few months. He’s kept quiet about it, hoping it’d pass, but it hasn’t. Instead, it’s escalated. Some jerks are vandalizing his books, tripping him in the hallway, stealing from his wallet—

Sunwoo is there for moral support, keeping Haknyeon’s hand in his, tapping a steady rhythm against his thumb. It’s hard for Sunwoo to keep calm as Haknyeon tells his story. He’s furious. He’s disappointed. He’s staying outwardly neutral to the best of his abilities, but all he really wants to do is track down Haknyeon’s bullies and give them a taste of their own medicine. Nothing _too_ harmful — maybe a case of the chicken pox with extra clucking.

Sangyeon gives Haknyeon his sympathies and assures him he’ll do what he can to stop the discrimination. “In the meantime, keep your chin up, buttercup,” he tells Haknyeon. “Your boyfriend looks pretty worried about you.”

“Thank you, old man, for your wise words.”

Sunwoo knows that he deserves the elbow to the ribs from Haknyeon, but that doesn’t make him regret the declaration any less.

——

One day, Haknyeon leads Sunwoo into the Gryffindor common room to show him something. Several Gryffindors scrutinize Sunwoo while he waits for Haknyeon to return from his room. It makes Sunwoo feel like an animal in a zoo, being ogled at with no say, and it’s a relief when Haknyeon returns, a small pig nestled in his arms.

Sunwoo recognizes the creature right away. She’s grown, though not by much, since the last time he’s seen her. He pets her head as Haknyeon sits next to him.

“This is Honey, yeah?” says Sunwoo. The pig oinks.

Haknyeon gasps, shocked. “Wha— How’d you know? I’ve never shown her to anyone but Gryffindors!”

“She got lost on the train ride during our first year,” Sunwoo says. “Stuck in my mind.”

“Oh, right.” Haknyeon laughs at the memory. “That was a _mess._ ”

“Storytime?”

Haknyeon grins. “So, there I was, hidden behind some Slytherin’s carrier of Tsum Tsums as I lured Honey out with an ear of corn...”

Honey falls asleep in Sunwoo’s arms. It’s while they’re talking, and they don’t even notice until she lets out a meek squeal mid-dream. Astonished, Haknyeon says that she’s never been able to do that before with anyone but himself. It makes Sunwoo feel special.

Later, Sunwoo brings Haknyeon to the Ravenclaw common room to show him Arrow. She’s feisty at first, but Haknyeon doesn’t mind the scratch marks she leaves on his ankles. Haknyeon casts a light from his wand for Arrow to chase like a laser pointer. She mewls, pads at his thighs, and eventually he gives her tuna treats as a reward for behaving well.

“She likes you,” Sunwoo says, watching Arrow eat from Haknyeon’s palm.

Haknyeon smiles. “You do, too.”

“I do what?”

“Like me,” Haknyeon declares. He peeks at Sunwoo, expression playful. “Too cheesy? Yeah, thought so. I take it back.”

Sunwoo’s _you can’t do that_ is on the tip of his tongue, but he doesn’t say it. It leaves a bitter aftertaste.

——

“It’s been a while since we all met up like this!” Eric exclaims. They’re all at The Three Broomsticks, taking some time off. He and Hyunjoon are on one side of the table; Sunwoo and Haknyeon are on the other. Eric has finally forgiven Haknyeon for the shampoo incident, though the dye inspired him to maintain a teal-colored hairstyle.

“Yeah, because O.W.L. studying is kicking our asses,” Sunwoo grumbles. He pauses, abruptly making to stand. “Man, I should go study—”

Haknyeon’s hand tugs at Sunwoo’s sleeve, getting him to sit back down. “Stay. You deserve a break. And a butterbeer.” Sunwoo exhales a long breath, relaxing, and Haknyeon rubs his back.

“Ugh, this is _so_ weird.” Eric motions to Haknyeon and Sunwoo. “I can’t get used to it. My brain can’t comprehend this pairing.”

“I never imagined them getting so close this fast,” Hyunjoon proclaims. He stares knowingly at Sunwoo, who pretends he can’t see it.

Eric snorts. “Yeah, it’s not like Haknyeon was ever gonna—” There’s a clatter under the table and he yelps, “Ow!” He glares at Haknyeon. “What was that for?”

“Our drinks! We haven’t gotten our drinks yet. You should go grab our drinks, as the youngest.” Haknyeon grins, saccharinely sweet. “Good manners, Eric.”

“ _Fine._ ”

Trudging his feet, Eric walks to the bar to order four butterbeers. Hyunjoon frowns at his retreating figure. Haknyeon traces shapes onto the palm of Sunwoo’s hand, oddly quiet.

“Are you feeling okay, Haknyeon?” Hyunjoon asks.

“Feel fine. Never better. Battery charged one-hundred percent.” Haknyeon tilts his head. “Why?”

“No reason.” Hyunjoon shrugs. “Thought you might be a bit feverish. There’s a bug going around, landing kids in the infirmary left and right.”

“I haven’t heard anything like that,” Sunwoo says, eyebrows pinched. “Ravenclaw must not have caught it.”

Hyunjoon props his elbows on the table. “I think lots of kids are faking it,” he says. “What, with all the tests coming up. They’re trying to get a few days of extra rest. Haknyeon?”

“Hm? Yeah?” Haknyeon blinks, wide-eyed. “What is it?”

“Is there stuff you can get at Zonko’s that can make you sick?” Hyunjoon asks. “Act sick, I mean.”

“Yeah— Yeah, for sure.” Haknyeon scratches at his neck. “I’ve never taken anything like that. I don’t... think it’s worth the trouble. That stuff’s prohibited on school grounds.”

“Makes sense.” Hyunjoon locks gazes with Sunwoo. “Pretending is such a hassle, too.”

Sunwoo can feel the rise of panic in his gut, but Hyunjoon doesn’t look perturbed by his own proclamation. He smiles, cat-like and chic. Hyunjoon’s always been a little enigmatic. It’s nothing to dwell on, so Sunwoo doesn’t.

Eric returns a moment later with their butterbeers. Thankfully, he avoids spills. Sunwoo sips from his mug, antsy, and doesn’t realize that foam sticks onto his upper lip. Haknyeon wipes it away with his thumb, licking the foam from his finger, and teases lightly, “You’re like a toddler.”

Sunwoo reddens. “Am not,” he defends.

Eric shudders. “Refrain from the PDA as I drink, please. I may potentially choke and die, but I still have O.W.L.s to get through.” Hyunjoon snorts.

——

Sunwoo sits on his broomstick, high off the ground, the wind tousling his hair. He’s been practicing his ascents and descents for the last hour as Haknyeon studies. He looks below, where Haknyeon is sitting on the grass, and calls out, “How’s the weather down there?”

“Refreshing!” Haknyeon responds, hands cupping his mouth for the sound to travel farther. He waves his arms, grinning brightly.

Flying down to Haknyeon’s level, Sunwoo asks, “Would you like to join me?”

“Hard pass, sunshine,” Haknyeon answers without hesitation. “You may recall I don’t have, how do you say, the _best_ experiences with riding a broom.”

Sunwoo winces, guilty. “I’m really sorry about that,” he says. “I never really apologized to you in person.”

Haknyeon shakes his head. “It’s water under the bridge. I’m over it.”

“Let me make it up to you.” Sunwoo hops off his broom, letting it hover in the air. He waves for Haknyeon to come over and urges, “Step on.” Haknyeon makes a face, wary. “Just for a minute. I’ll hold onto you.”

It takes a few more words of persuasion, but Haknyeon eventually gets up and stands next to  Sunwoo’s broomstick. He swings his legs over it and sits, gripping the handle so hard his knuckles turn white. When Sunwoo lets go of the broom, Haknyeon’s feet lift off the ground.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—”

“I got you!” Sunwoo laughs as he holds onto the back of Haknyeon’s shirt. Haknyeon whimpers. “Don’t worry. I won’t let go. For now, anyway.”

Sunwoo focuses on getting Haknyeon to maintain his balance. The Gryffindor has a habit of leaning too far to the left, stance precarious. Sunwoo uses the method that Juyeon had taught the Ravenclaws: pretend like you’re on a block of ice. If you fall off, you splash into the icy cold sea that also contains killer whales. (It’s brutal but effective. Tough love, another one of Juyeon’s mottos.)

Once Haknyeon has mastered balance, Sunwoo gets him to fly higher in the air. Haknyeon is scared for his life, but Sunwoo doesn’t let go. He walks alongside Haknyeon, talking with him to keep him calm. Haknyeon unknowingly reaches the point where he flies higher than Sunwoo’s reach, so Sunwoo gradually takes his hand away to let Haknyeon ascend on his own.

“Look at you!” Sunwoo exclaims, grinning. Haknyeon screams, words garbled and indecipherable, when he realizes how far off the ground he is. “Hey, you could be my next rival on the pitch. You strike me as a Beater!”

“You’re _hilarious_ ,” Haknyeon cries sarcastically.

Sunwoo tries not to laugh. “Come down slowly.” Haknyeon grimaces. “Trust me! If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

Little by little, Haknyeon floats down to Sunwoo. The broomstick gets shaky as it descends and inevitably Haknyeon loses control. Sunwoo’s there with open arms, Haknyeon falling into him and causing them both to hit the ground. It makes Sunwoo’s back ache, but he can feel Haknyeon’s laughter vibrate throughout his body so he supposes that helps. Haknyeon’s head is right below Sunwoo’s chin, with Sunwoo’s arms wrapped loosely around Haknyeon’s waist. When Haknyeon lifts his head, he meets Sunwoo’s eyes and makes Sunwoo’s breath catch in his throat. Sunwoo’s gaze shifts to the bow of Haknyeon’s lip, his own heartbeat thudding in his ears.

_He’s gorgeous._

“We should get to dinner,” Haknyeon murmurs. He kisses Sunwoo’s forehead and then rises to his feet. “They must be wondering where we are.”

“Y-Yeah. Sure.” Sunwoo gets up, too. He sends his broomstick back to his room, brushing off flecks of grass from his slacks. He instinctively holds out his hand for Haknyeon to take, and they head to the Great Hall.

For the rest of the night, Sunwoo can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss Haknyeon on the lips, to be the one to take initiative, to unapologetically fall headfirst in love without turning back. He wonders if this could’ve happened naturally. He wonders, too much, too dangerously, too thoughtlessly, and he wonders what he’ll do when the fantasy will come to an end.

——

There have been many, many, many troubles brewing in Sunwoo’s mind lately: the impending O.W.L.s, Arrow’s fascination with dust mites, the love potion, the final Quidditch game of the year, the love potion, an unopened letter from his mother, the love potion—

The love potion should’ve worn off by now. Three weeks have come and gone, and Haknyeon’s still as starry-eyed for Sunwoo as he was in the beginning.

It makes no sense. Even the strongest documented love potions only last two weeks. Sunwoo’s good at potion-making, but he can’t be _that_ good. He has to find out what’s wrong.

Sunwoo gives the potion to his best friend for sleuthing. Hyunjoon knows a guy who knows a girl who knows a guy who can analyze potions. They’ll be able to learn the strength of Sunwoo’s potion and how to remediate it. This type of magic is new territory for Sunwoo. New means different, and different means...

Terrifying. It’s terrifying, because he doesn’t know how long they can keep this charade going, how long Haknyeon will think he loves him.

It’s terrifying, because Sunwoo is very much in love with Haknyeon and doesn’t know what’ll happen when it all ends. God, it’s gotten so troublesome. What happened with his crush on Kevin? That was _less_ complicated.

Until Hyunjoon can tell him what’s going on, Sunwoo acts like he’s walking on eggshells with Haknyeon. Every move is careful, calculated. The wizards at Hogwarts believe he and Haknyeon are the golden couple of the school. He keeps up the act, despite wanting to scream the truths and come clean. He’s not even sure what’s the truth and what’s a lie, who he’s honest with and who’s he truthful to.

Pinocchio, move aside. Sunwoo has you running for your money.

——

“He’s been lying.”

Sunwoo looks up from his toast. Hyunjoon has taken the seat across him, gnawing on his thumbnail. They’re in the Great Hall for breakfast. Haknyeon is serving an all-day detention for accidentally breaking several busts of past Headmasters. Sunwoo hasn’t seen him since yesterday, and they don’t plan to see one another until the end of the day, when they’re set to meet in the Astronomy Tower. With Hyunjoon’s expression, it’s likely that those plans will change.

“Haknyeon. He’s been lying. I had a hunch, and it turned out to be true. I don’t even know what to say.” Hyunjoon pauses. “He didn’t drink your love potion, Sunwoo.”

“That’s... That can’t be,” Sunwoo stammers. “Why would he lie?”

“No idea.” Hyunjoon pulls out a note from his pocket. “Chanhee ran all the tests. He’s a Slytherin, really good at identifying DNA with charms. Wants to be a forensic wizard, I think.”

“Hyunjoon.”

“Right, sorry.” Hyunjoon passes the note to Sunwoo. It contains the percent composition of the materials in the love potion as well as the estimated time of effect: eight days.

“The tests showed that there wasn’t any DNA residue on the lip of the vial,” Hyunjoon goes on, “which means no one could’ve drunk from it.”

No one drank Sunwoo’s love potion. Haknyeon didn’t drink his love potion, which means—

“I can’t believe this,” Sunwoo mutters numbly.

“Sunwoo, I’m sorry.”

“No, I—” Sunwoo’s lost his appetite.

The hours and minutes of the day get muddled as Sunwoo attends his classes. He isn’t paying attention in the lectures, words going in one ear and out the other. All that he’s gotten written in his notes are unconnected shapes and crossed lines. He’s not sure how he’s supposed to feel, so he doesn’t. He’s empty.

When classes end, his steps take him to the Astronomy Tower. Haknyeon’s already there, whistling aimlessly. When he sees Sunwoo, he smiles.

That’s the trigger. All the emotions Sunwoo hadn’t known what to do with hit him at once. Confusion. Defeat. Sadness. Anger. Anger is the one that bleeds out, ugly and raw, as he stalks towards Haknyeon.

“You _lied_ to me,” Sunwoo hisses. Haknyeon’s smile drops, panic clear in his eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. “You’ve been lying this whole time. Did you think it was _funny_ to play me like that? To make me feel like I _mattered_ to you?” He doesn’t want to say this. He’s watching as the light dims from Haknyeon’s eyes, but he’s too caught up in his own emotions to care. His voice lowers, vulnerable. “I was just another one of your pranks, wasn’t I?”

“No! Sunwoo, t-that’s not—” Haknyeon furiously shakes his head, flustered. “I— I can explain, I swear.” He tries to take Sunwoo’s hand, but the Ravenclaw steps back, jaw clenched. “Please, you have to listen—”

“Save it.” Sunwoo hates this. He hates himself. He wants to hate Haknyeon, but he’s horribly in love and simultaneously crumbling to pieces. “I can’t deal with you.”

“Sunwoo—”

 _Haknyeon’s not in love with you_ , Sunwoo thinks to himself, a desperate mantra, so he doesn’t turn back to get his heart broken even further.

——

Hogwarts is quieter without Haknyeon. Sunwoo’s found comfort in the Gryffindor’s presence, and it’s absolutely jarring to have him disappear at a moment’s notice. He’s developed habits over the last few weeks, like saving fruit from breakfast and reaching to his side to take a hold of a hand that’s not there.

It sucks.

Sunwoo still sees Haknyeon, in the Great Hall, library, classes, but he avoids him like the plague, not letting Haknyeon get to him. They exist as two parallel lines, not crossing paths or overlapping. Call Sunwoo immature, but he can’t talk to Haknyeon in the right mind without losing his temper. He wants to reconcile, but he needs time to flush out his feelings for Haknyeon and go back to when they were just barely friends.

Everyone wants to know what went wrong. Hyunjoon knows the truth, and Eric likely knows Haknyeon’s side. All the other wizards are fishing for information that Sunwoo refuses to give. He’s sick of kids looking for drama, when they have no right to stick their noses into places they don’t belong.

Sunwoo has taken refuge in the Ravenclaw common room. While his Housemates are curious about his and Haknyeon’s falling out, all of them are smart enough to let him have his space. Had he stayed in the library, he would most likely have run into Haknyeon or even worse — Younghoon with one of those automatic writing quills. Sunwoo can study from the comfort of his own House, no problem, with other Ravenclaws who respect the concept of personal boundaries.

Although, there is always the exception. Kevin is the one to prod Sunwoo’s bubble, joining him on the couch one Saturday afternoon and beginning, “I wanted to talk.”

“I can do that,” says Sunwoo.

“I heard about you and Haknyeon.” (Sunwoo bites his tongue.) “You broke up, right?”

“O-Oh. Yeah.” For a split second, Sunwoo thought he’d found out about the love potion. This alternative isn’t much better.

“How are you taking it?” Kevin asks, full of sympathy.

“I’m fine,” Sunwoo assures. He puts on a front, fingers digging into his palm as he grips his quill. “He was an asshole that didn’t even like me anyway.”

“What? Haknyeon? Not _liking_ you?” Kevin sounds baffled. He’s frowning. “That can’t be right. Haknyeon’s been head over heels for you, Sunwoo.”

Sunwoo drops his quill. “No. What are you talking about? How would you know?”

“He told me, way back when. When you were trying out for the Quidditch team, to be exact.” Kevin smiles, sheepish. “Back then, he wanted to cheer you on somehow, so he asked me to leave you lozenges while I met with Juyeon. I think he noticed how badly you were blowing your voice, so he wanted to help you behind-the-scenes. He never wanted you to find out who gave them, which was bad judgment in my opinion, because he’s a total catch—”

“Hold on, hold on, hold _on_. The orange lozenges—” Sunwoo rubs his temples, trying to make sense of what he’s hearing, “—were from _Haknyeon_? Not from you?”

Kevin shakes his head. “He wanted to keep it — his crush on you — a secret,” he explains. “I was really surprised when I saw you two together. Before, Haknyeon told me he was fine not acting on his feelings. He didn’t think you’d ever like him back. He’d always blamed it on you being a pureblood, him muggle-born — oil and water. I just thought he lacked courage.”

“Courage?” Sunwoo echoes. This is all too much for him to handle.

“Yeah, courage. He’s never had enough.” Kevin sighs. “When I saw you two dating, I was excited for him,” he continues, wistful. “I don’t know how it happened, but something pushed him to finally confess.”

“The love potion,” Sunwoo blurts. It makes so much sense now: why Haknyeon would lie about being spellbound. The Gryffindor needed an excuse to show Sunwoo affection. In the same convoluted way, he’d done what Sunwoo had originally planned to do with Kevin. If Sunwoo wasn’t having a crisis, he would burst into laughter at the like-minded thinking.

Kevin’s gasp brings him back to reality.

“You drank a _love potion_ from him?”

“No, no, it’s a long story.” Sunwoo glances at the prefect. “I actually... made a love potion... to give to you.” Kevin’s eyes widen. “All this time I thought it was you, giving me those lozenges, fantasizing you as my secret admirer or whatever. I’ve had a crush on _you_ , when it was actually... Haknyeon.” Sunwoo’s voice drops to a whisper. “It was always Haknyeon.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

Sunwoo’s voice gets louder, faster, words tumbling out like the snowballs from an avalanche, “And I _thought_ Haknyeon accidentally drank it and magically fell in love with me, but he... he...”

“Was already in love with you,” Kevin finishes, entirely optimistic. “He didn’t drink it. He didn’t!”

“He’s so _stupid_. I thought it was an elaborate prank. I thought he didn’t even—” Sunwoo jumps to his feet, filled with too much— no, just enough determination. “I have to go find him.”

Before he leaves, Kevin grabs onto his hand. Sunwoo stares at their fingers, how the feeling isn’t right, how he wishes Haknyeon was here instead. As Sunwoo stares, Kevin seems to realize, too. This is a goodbye to a love that never was, a closing curtain to a cancelled play.

“Good luck, Sunwoo,” Kevin says. “You’ve got this.”

——

It takes an hour for Sunwoo to find him. He runs across school grounds, trying to locate the wizard with hair the color of the sun. He searches the library, the Great Hall, and the Gryffindor common room. There isn’t any sign of him, but he does see Eric in the bathroom, who tells him that Haknyeon is out studying. It doesn’t sound helpful, but Eric gives him a knowing look and Sunwoo all but crushes him in a hug.

He goes for the Quidditch pitch.

Sitting in the grass, with books on thestrals and knarls surrounding him, Haknyeon raises his head in alarm as Sunwoo shouts his name. When he gets close enough, Sunwoo drops to his knees to catch his breath.

“You... make it... unnecessarily hard... for someone to find you, you know that?”

“You were looking for me?” Haknyeon asks, voice soft. He passes Sunwoo a handkerchief, which the Ravenclaw gratefully accepts.

“I... needed to talk... to you,” Sunwoo pants.

“Can I go first?” Haknyeon interjects. He sits cross-legged in front of Sunwoo. “Please, su— Sunwoo. I have to set things right.”

Sunwoo gazes at Haknyeon. He’s missed him so much. Missed _them_. There are dark circles underneath Haknyeon’s eyes, and Sunwoo wants so badly to rub them away. _Not yet_ , he thinks.

“Okay,” he says. “I’m listening.”

“Thank you.” Haknyeon inhales, shallow. “I’m sorry, Sunwoo. You don’t have to forgive me for lying. I’m... I’m just so, so sorry.” He swallows thickly, looking down. “I had a reason for it. It’s not even a good reason, but it’s... It’s like...”

Sunwoo moves closer to Haknyeon, offering a comforting hand on his knee. Haknyeon doesn’t hold it, only places his own hand on top to gently play with Sunwoo’s fingers. He goes on.

“When I was a kid, the Sorting Hat told me I could be a great Slytherin. It said I was good at being tricky and all that. But I got Sorted into Gryffindor, for a reason I’m still not so sure of, and now I’m here.”

“You’re strong,” Sunwoo says. “You’re brave.”

Haknyeon bites his bottom lip. “I found the potion on the ground after Care of Magical Creatures. I know the number one rule of unknown potions is not to inhale them, but it _looked_ harmless, okay! It smelled like... freshly mown grass, orange slices, and Hershey’s chocolate.” He glances at Sunwoo. “It had to be a love potion.”

“I don’t even eat that much chocolate anymore,” Sunwoo grumbles. Haknyeon snorts.

“I didn’t tell anyone, of course. Love potions are forbidden. Someone must’ve smuggled it, so it would be best to keep it hidden. Saves everyone the detention time.

“I... overheard you and Hyunjoon talk about it that morning. You lost your love potion. Conveniently enough, I’d spilled some of the potion when I first opened it. Classic, clumsy Haknyeon. Funny how mistakes can work in your favor.” Haknyeon takes another deep, steadying breath.

“I really like you, truly. I thought— I thought I could fool you, for a while, and you wouldn’t mind me. My bad jokes, my clinginess, my insecurities... You’d blame everything on the love potion. You wouldn’t—” Haknyeon squeezes his eyes shut, “—hate me.”

Sunwoo’s heart stutters in his chest. “When?” he asks. “When did you start liking me?”

“Remember our second year at Hogwarts?” Sunwoo nods. “We were in the same Flying class. I never rode a broom before, so you helped me. No one told you to, but you did. I yelled at you because I couldn’t do it, and you yelled back because you said I could.”

“You ended up breaking your arm,” Sunwoo says, wincing.

“I still got in the air, didn’t I?” Haknyeon grins, almost like nothing’s changed. “When I was resting in the hospital ward, you gave me flowers. A different type would bloom in the vase every day. There were daisies, peonies, lilacs... Your magic was amazing.” He meets Sunwoo’s gaze. “You were amazing.”

“That was—” Sunwoo stops. “I didn’t want to meet with you after that, so that was all I could do.”

“Still! You’d struck my heart,” Haknyeon confesses. “Gestures like that get to me. When someone cares about a guy who hasn’t thought to care for himself.” He coughs, cheeks pink, moving back so Sunwoo’s hand falls onto the grass. “Sorry, I— C-Can we stay friends? Or, um, whatever we were before this happened? This was... a lot.”

Pursing his lips, Sunwoo shakes his head. “I don’t think so.” Haknyeon deflates, but Sunwoo doesn’t give him the chance to throw in the towel.

Sunwoo closes the space that Haknyeon put between them, facing him, and takes both his hands in his. Bewildered, Haknyeon stares at their hands and then at Sunwoo’s face.

“For the longest time, I thought I was infatuated with Kevin Moon,” Sunwoo admits bluntly and straight-faced. “Why, you may ask? Well, see, some time ago I caught him leaving orange lozenges on my broomstick before matches.”

Haknyeon lets out a hushed _oh_.

“Gestures like that get to me. When someone cares about a guy who doesn’t care enough.” Sunwoo hums. “But, as it turns out, Kevin was just the messenger. Someone else had wanted to give them to me, which means I’ve been crushing on the wrong person for far too long.”

Haknyeon gives him that smile, a _real_ smile. “Must’ve caught you off-guard.”

“You could’ve just told me from the start,” Sunwoo says. “Then we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Haknyeon laughs. “How could I have? You’re Sunwoo Kim!”

“And you’re Haknyeon Joo,” Sunwoo retorts. “You don’t need to hide behind excuses anymore. There’s no rhyme or reason why we want to be together. You’re you. I’m me. Nothing’s stopping us.”

Suddenly, it feels like the day they’d met. Sunwoo, opening the door for a boy full of fear, panic, curiosity, potential. Haknyeon is nothing he expects, and yet Haknyeon is everything he wants. Sunwoo can’t be certain, but maybe the seed had been planted that day on the train. Maybe a knock was all it took.

Haknyeon kisses Sunwoo as if he’s always known they’d find one another. Weeks, months, years of pining lean heavily on Sunwoo’s tongue. Haknyeon’s hands, warm to the touch, hold Sunwoo’s face as he molds their lips together, gently and effortlessly. When he pulls away, he grins.

“No love potion,” Haknyeon whispers. “Only love.”

Despite years of flying, Sunwoo’s never been this lightheaded. And he can definitely say he doesn’t mind the dizziness one bit.

——

When Haknyeon and Sunwoo meet their friends at The Three Broomsticks, the first thing that comes out of Eric’s mouth is, “Is this real now?”

Hyunjoon pushes Eric to the side. “What he _means_ to say is—” He points to himself and Eric, “—we’re happy for you.”

“I can’t believe _both_ of you knew,” Sunwoo huffs. Yesterday, he and Haknyeon had returned from the Quidditch pitch inconspicuously. They had dinner in the Great Hall, arriving three minutes apart, and snuck glances at each other the whole time. Hyunjoon had been suspicious, so Sunwoo was forced to spill the beans. The Gryffindor was speechless but somehow not surprised.

In the night, Sunwoo and Haknyeon had snuck away to stay in the Astronomy Tower. They discovered that their best friends were aware of their respective plans. Haknyeon had kept it a secret from Eric until the second day of faking being spellbound, when Haknyeon claimed he would “implode if he didn’t tell one person what he was plotting.” Although it was shocking, Sunwoo’s gotten over it. He and Haknyeon are only a tiny bit petty.

“I knew _Haknyeon’s_ side,” Eric counters the same time Hyunjoon declares, “I knew _your_ side.” They share a look with one another, impressed.

“Two sides of the same coin,” Haknyeon sighs. “The argument _and_ you guys. Unbelievable, you two. Members of my own House!”

Eric sputters, “What kind of backwards logic—”

“Forget it,” Hyunjoon interrupts, patting Eric on the shoulder. Eric twists his lips. “We can pop by Honeydukes later and then not share our goodies with them. What do you say?”

“That’s cruel!” Haknyeon cries.

“Hey, I like that idea,” Eric snickers. He pumps his fist in the air. “Rock candy for days! And you lovebirds get _nothing_.”

Sunwoo buys Haknyeon a box of sugared butterfly wings to make up for Eric’s staunch refusal to share. Eric sulks, but Hyunjoon purchases an extra bag of rock candy for him so it’s okay in the end.

——

The rest of Hogwarts reacts exactly how a school full of teens that has discovered its newly annointed couple is back together should act. At first, everyone is on their case to know how it happened. Haknyeon says he confessed first; Sunwoo argues that he’d fallen first. While Sunwoo and Haknyeon can share the complete truth with their closest of friends, they try to keep the actual love potion story under wraps. Their prefect friends (aside from Kevin, who’s promised to keep the secret) don’t get the whole account of the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw tale; once they’re not people with the authority to give detentions ‘til death, they’ll get to hear it.

After a few days, it’s old news. Young wizards move on to the next big story: Changmin Ji, Hufflepuff’s prefect, sending love notes to Younghoon Kim until the latter agrees to date him. Sunwoo doesn’t actually think it’s a worthwhile headline; Younghoon and Changmin have practically been dating since they’d chosen wands together. Anyway, the Hufflepuff romance gets the kids off his and Haknyeon’s backs so that’s great news for them.

Dating Haknyeon — in the genuine, authentic way — is much like drinking juice. There are flavors aplenty: apple, cranberry, orange, pineapple. In a similar sense, there are so many ways Haknyeon can show his affection: through loud songs and unspoken gestures, through quiet comforts and lasting kisses. Haknyeon can give him those orange lozenges in person now, slipping them in his robes before the final match. Every sip leaves Sunwoo with the sweetest taste in his mouth, the sugar coating the film of his teeth. They aren’t perfect, how could they be, because too much can cause cavities or stomachaches; Sunwoo still has his temper and Haknyeon is still careless, but they find ways to change for the better.

As the end of the school year approaches, O.W.L.s are only a few days away. Fifth years of every House study like their lives depend on it. Haknyeon is more worried for them than Sunwoo is; he wants to be a veterinarian and that requires _E_ s and _O_ s for future schooling. Sunwoo only wants to pass; he’s aiming to play Quidditch professionally so, though O.W.L.s aren’t exactly required for Quidditch players, it never hurts to have a backup plan.

It’s become tradition for Sunwoo and Haknyeon to study on the Quidditch pitch, when the weather permits. They’ve only been kicked out once, but that was because the whole Gryffindor team wanted to put in an extra practice and Eric was throwing a hissy-fit. Aside from those incidents, they can relax under the sun and study with one another, going over spells and terminology and whatever else could be on the exams — i.e. everything.

Right now, one of them is studying while the other is taking a nap. Haknyeon’s on his back, arms spread, an herbology textbook open on his face. (He’s snoring, which Sunwoo will tease him for later.) Sunwoo is putting together a star chart for Astronomy, trying to write the constellations by memory. It’s a good day.

Haknyeon sits up, textbook falling to the ground. He rubs his eyes and smiles at Sunwoo when he says, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Mornin’, sunshine.” Haknyeon scratches his stomach, looking around. “Random question. Did you ever open that letter from your mom? You got it, like, last month, but I don’t remember if you ever told me about it. I had a dream.”

Sunwoo makes a face. “Uh, to be honest, totally forgot about it.” After rummaging through his bag, he finds the pristine envelope with the family seal — a sun with five waved rays — stamped on it in green wax. The writing on the back is undeniably that of his mother’s, narrow yet elegant cursive.

“Do you think I’m being a bad son if I accidentally drop this in the hippogriff feeders?” Haknyeon narrows his eyes at him. Sunwoo buzzes his lips. “Thought so.”

“Can I read, too?” Haknyeon gasps, exaggerated. “Unless it’s super secretive, super classified, pureblood Slytherin stuff.” Sunwoo scoffs, motioning for him to come closer.

With cautious fingers, Sunwoo removes the seal and prepares for the worst. He reads the letter, with Haknyeon’s chin hooked on his shoulder, and can’t help but blurt “holy shit” when he reaches the end.

_Dear Sunwoo,_

_I hope you’re doing well in your fifth-year at Hogwarts. I also hope you’re getting along with Jacob; as you know, we are going to attend his brother’s wedding in the summer. Classes, I presume, are getting more challenging. We respect your decision in pursuing Quidditch for the future, but we fully expect you to achieve excellent marks on your O.W.L.s. You come from a long line of Aurors, which no doubt means you have the capabilities to succeed at these examinations._

_I’ve heard much about someone special. He’s a Gryffindor, is that correct? I don’t believe we’ve met him before, but Mrs. Heo informed me that that’s because he’s muggleborn. While I know you like to keep to yourself with your relationships, it would be nice for you to confide in us. If everything goes well, we’d love to meet him once the school year is over. Whoever is able to make you happy will surely make your family happy, too._

_Knowing you, it’s likely you’ve left this letter at the bottom of your bag and forgotten about it. Nevertheless, we wish you well from home. I hope to see Haknyeon soon; he sounds delightful, again, from what Mrs. Heo has told me._

_Love,_ _  
_ _Mother_

“That was...” Sunwoo blinks a few times, taken aback. “Very unexpected.”

Haknyeon is pleased at the turnabout, humming giddily. “She’d sent that during our love potion era? News must’ve traveled fast.” He’s trying to play it cool, Sunwoo can tell, but he’s blushing a pretty pink. He peers at Sunwoo. “Do you think she’ll like me?”

Sunwoo turns and presses a quick kiss onto Haknyeon’s mouth. “I like you,” he declares, lightly pinching Haknyeon’s nose. Haknyeon smiles, and then frowns.

“Hey, you sly— That wasn’t a real answer! Sunwoo Kim! Get back here, Ravenclaw!”

**Author's Note:**

> -thnx @ LieV for giving me the jukev content i desperately crave  
> -won't be writing any more legit fics from hogwarts au, but if i ever talk abt it it'll go [here](https://incorrecttheboyz.tumblr.com/tagged/hogwarts-au)  
> -yeet congrats on reaching the end (o o)v  
> -check out the [outtakes](https://incorrecttheboyz.tumblr.com/post/177355810593/hogwarts-au-outtakes) for stuff that couldn't make it into the fic!


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